1. Field of the Invention
The present application relates generally to a head covering and, more particularly, to an article of manufacture for protecting, surrounding, and holding hair of varying lengths.
2. Description of Related Art
Head coverings have been around for many years. The term head coverings may imply fabric or textile materials, or rigid and hard materials like helmets. It is not uncommon that both types of head coverings are used at the same time. Head coverings have typically been made from a cloth or textile material that wraps around the head. These have typically protected the hair and head, to a lesser extent, from the sun and wind. A typical example would be a bandana. Bandanas are typically one sheet of material tied around a head in a particular way. Baseball caps are another more recent example. These caps may be adjustable to fit heads of different sizes typically using snaps or elastic. More recently, elastic form fitting materials have been used in products to adjust to head size variations. An example would be a skull cap. Generally, the examples illustrated above protect the head and hair immediately around the head from the sun, wind, or helmets. However, these do not generally protect long hair. An example of long hair would be hair that extends below the skull cap or baseball cap; or reaches the shoulders or lies along ones back past the waist.
In order to accommodate long hair, typically baseball caps and skull caps will contain an aperture located adjacent to the back of the head to permit long hair to protrude through. This, however, often causes the hair to be bunched tightly together in a predetermined location making for the proper wearing of form fitting helmets extremely difficult and unsafe. Furthermore, the hair remains uncovered and unprotected. Another option is to squish the hair along the neck underneath the band area. However, this allows for the cap to easily be removed from the head when the hair extending from the cap is pulled upward either intentionally or unintentionally.
Furthermore, some head coverings incorporate the use of a bag or pouch. Such bags or pouches may be limited in size and length and may only allow hair to be gathered in one location. In order to secure the hair inside the bag or pouch, ties may be used. Typically these bags or pouches have only one opening, being fully closed on the opposite end. Depending on the length of hair, hair is often bundled or pulled up in order to rest inside the bag or pouch. For people with longer or thicker hair, such pouches or bags may be too small.
Although protecting long hair, the gathered hair in bags or pouches may not adequately allow for the safe and secure wearing of a helmet or other head covering at the same time. Hair bunched up can interfere with how a helmet securely rests on a head, thereby affecting the user's comfort and the helmet's ability to protect the head. A similar affect is seen with such skull caps having an aperture for long hair. The hair is tightly gathered, often in a ponytail, creating interference with the helmet on a user's head. Ties used around the pouch or bag may also interfere with a helmet. Ties may also loosen over time allowing the hair to come free and exit the bag or pouch. If hair is left uncovered or exits the bag or pouch when wearing a helmet, the hair may blow into the face of the user causing a distraction or worse yet, an accident. Hair may also become entangled and pulled from the head.
Although great strides have been made in head coverings, considerable shortcomings remain.
While the system and method of the present application is susceptible to various modifications and alternative forms, specific embodiments thereof have been shown by way of example in the drawings and are herein described in detail. It should be understood, however, that the description herein of specific embodiments is not intended to limit the application to the particular embodiment disclosed, but on the contrary, the intention is to cover all modifications, equivalents, and alternatives falling within the spirit and scope of the process of the present application as defined by the appended claims.